1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper discharge apparatus for use in an issuing apparatus for issuing a receipt, a ticket, etc. using a roll paper and for discharging a cut continuous paper.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been conventionally installed a cash dispenser and an information terminal apparatus in an unmanned shop where an issuing apparatus is installed as a conversation means with a customer for issuing a receipt or a ticket on which necessary information is printed. A small sized printer is used in such an issuing apparatus which performs a paper discharging operation while performing a printing operation, and the paper forming the receipt or the ticket is cut off by an auto cutter in a given length upon completion of the printing operation.
FIG. 20A shows an external appearance of the conventional printer. A paper discharge port 306 is provided at a front surface panel portion 304 of an outer casing 302. A continuous paper 308 is discharged from the paper discharge port 306 depending on the printing operation. A recipient can receive the discharged paper 308 while picking it up with fingers.
FIG. 20B shows an internal structure of the conventional printer. There is formed a paper feed passage 310 which extends from the interior of the outer casing 302 to the paper discharge port 306. A paper feed mechanism 312, a print mechanism 314 and a cutter mechanism 316 are respectively provided along the paper feed passage 310. The paper feed mechanism 312 is a means for feeding the paper 308 in synchronization with a printing operation. The paper feed mechanism 312 is provided with a pair of feed rollers 318 and 320. The paper 308 is guided between and clamped by the feed rollers 318 and 320 and fed out by the rotation of the feed rollers 318 and 320 while it is pressed by and brought into contact with the feed rollers 318 and 320. The print mechanism 314 comprises a print head 322 and a platen 324 which are confronted to each other while interposing the paper feed passage 310 therebetween. When the print head 322 is driven, the paper 308 is printed. Printing form is varied depending on the kind of the paper 308. If a heat sensitive paper is used, an ink ribbon is not needed while if an ordinary paper is used, a color medium such as the ink ribbon is needed. The cutter mechanism 316 is composed of an independent unit and contains therein a cutter blade 326 which slides in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the paper 308. The cutter blade 326 is driven by a slide driving mechanism. In the cutter mechanism 316, when the cutter blade 326 slides downward in FIG. 20B, the fed paper 308 is cut off.
In such a printer, the paper 308 is discharged from the paper discharge port 306 while it is printed. Upon completion of the printing operation, the paper 308 is discharged continuously by a given amount and cut off by the cutter blade 326 when the cutter blade 326 slides.
If such a printer is employed by the issuing apparatus for issuing the receipt or the ticket, it is expected that a recipient stands by for completion of the printing operation while picking up an end of the paper 308 with fingers. It is also expected that the recipient obstructs the discharge of the paper 308. FIG. 21 shows an example of a case where the recipient stands by for the issuance of the paper 308. That is, when the recipient stands by while picking up the paper 308, the paper 308 is prevented from being smoothly fed so that the paper 308, while it is fed on the paper feed passage 310, is liable to generate bending 328. The bending 328 gives unnecessary stress to the paper 308 in the direction opposite to the discharge direction of the paper 308. As a result, the paper 308 is bent inside the printer and a normal discharge operation can not be performed, which causes a paper jam.
FIG. 22A shows a case where the recipient forcibly pulls out the paper 308 to be discharged. If tension T is applied to the paper 308, the tension T applies unnecessary load to an edge 330 of the cutter blade 326 in the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction F as shown in FIG. 22B. If the load is extremely large, the edge 330 of the cutter blade 326 is damaged. If the edge 330 is bent, there occurs a possibility that the cutter blade 326 can not slide or a cutting operation is deteriorated.
In such a conventional printer, there is provided a means to prevent the recipient from touching the paper 308 until the paper 308 having a predetermined length is completely discharged. For example, such a printer is disclosed in JP-U No. 5-29765. In this printer, a cover having a depth corresponding to the length of the paper 308 to be issued is attached to a paper discharge portion, and the paper 308 is guided within the cover to prevent the recipient from touching the paper 308 and the paper 308 can be discharged from the cover only when the paper 308 is cut off.
However, such a printer has the following problems. Since the cover protrudes from the printer, the cover per se is liable to be damaged. Furthermore, since the size of the cover corresponds to the length of the paper 308, if the length of the paper 308 to be issued is changed, it must be changed to correspond to the changed length of the paper 308, which makes the issuing apparatus large.
There have been proposed paper discharge apparatuses as a means for coping with the aforementioned problems as disclosed in JP-A No. 1-181659 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,393. In such apparatuses, the paper is slackened and standby in the discharge passage until the printing operation is completed, thereby preventing the recipient from receiving the paper, and the paper is cut off and discharged from a discharge port upon completion of the printing operation.